The Centre of Indian Trade Unions has urged the central government not to send construction workers to Israel amid the ongoing war on Gaza.
This came amid media reports stating that the construction industry in Israel has asked the government to allow companies to recruit 1 lakh Indian workers to replace the 90,000 Palestinians whose work permits have been cancelled since a war on Gaza began.
Israel declared war on Gaza after an incursion by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.
The Palestinian toll since October 7 has reached 10,812, including 4,412 children. Besides Gaza, the Israeli military has killed at least 182 Palestinians in the West Bank region since October 7. The Israeli toll is over 1,500.
Quoting a Voice of America report, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday that Israel is in talks with India to hire construction workers.
“We hope to engage 50,000 to 100,000 workers from India to be able to run the whole sector and bring it back to normal,” Israel Builders Association vice president Haim Feiglin was quoted as saying. “We are at war and the Palestinian workers, which are about 25% of our human resources in the sector, are not coming, are not permitted to work in Israel.”
On Feiglin’s comments, the trade union said in a statement that it denounces the “brutal inhuman acts of the Israeli authority” and asked Indian workers to refuse to go to Israel.
“CITU, on behalf of the working class, reiterates its demand upon the government of India to refuse to respond to any such purported move of the Israeli government and the Builders’ Association there,” read a statement. “The government of India must rather support, shunning all vacillation, the latest UN Resolution for an immediate ceasefire by Israel on a humanitarian truce and to ensure a Palestinian homeland with a pre-1967 border, free from all occupation.”
The union also said that it welcomes a resolution adopted by the Construction Workers Federation of India.
The federation, which works under the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said in a separate statement that it strongly objects to “any attempt to send the poor construction workers of our country to Israel to overcome its shortage of workers and in any way support its genocidal attacks on Palestine”.
It added: “CWFI calls upon all its members, all the construction workers of India and also the people to protest against the moves to put the lives of construction workers of our country at risk.”
Although the war is being cited as the reason to bring in Indian workers, New Delhi and Tel Aviv in May this year had signed an agreement that would allow 42,000 Indian workers to work in the Jewish state in construction and nursing fields.
According to a press statement from the Israeli foreign ministry, 34,000 workers were to be engaged in the construction field and another 8,000 for nursing needs.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!